Akwa Ibom Wins Golf Event

Bayelsa State at the weekend won the golf event of the ongoing 17th National Sports Festival in Port, leading other states with two gold medals.

Lagos, Plateau, Delta, Akwa Ibom and Rivers won one gold medal each.

Winners also emerged in the Doubles Match Play Category, Singles Categories I and II, Doubles Categories I and II, Ladies Gold Division and Combined Net Scores Individual Categories.

Samuel Eto, who shares the same name with Cameroon soccer international, Samuel Eto, won the gold for Akwa Ibom with team mate Samuel Achale.

Eto, who hails from Esiene Udom Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom, told NAN that his name meant “God’s Sword’’.

“The name has brought a lot of pressure on me to be as successful as the world renowned football star.

“This victory at the sports festival will motivate me to win future laurels in the sport and attain global recognition.”

He expressed the hope to meet the Cameroonian player soon and recalled that he had won several laurels in the sport.

“I won in one of the categories of the ‘Nigeria at 50 Golf Tournament’, played at the IBB Golf and Country Club Abuja in 2010.”

Edet Umoh, Head Coach of the Akwa Ibom Team, said he hoped to win at least five gold medals at the festival.

The South African-based golfer who was Nigeria’s No.1 ranked professional golfer in 2008/2009, rated the standard of play at the festival low.

“The golf event at this sports festival is the least in standard of all the festivals I have attended and the golf authorities should address the situation.”